When the San Francisco 49ers traded for the No.31 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, they never suspected that Reuben Foster would still be on the board.
The 49ers ended up taking the Alabama linebacker at the end of the first round, a pick that many considered to be a steal. That sentiment hasn’t changed with the 49ers just over a week away from their season opener versus the Carolina Panthers.
Foster had an impressive outing in the 49ers third preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings, playing 35 snaps and making eight tackles all across the field.
Kyle Shanahan joined Tolbert and Lund on Wednesday to discuss Foster’s development and the impact he has on the players that share the field with him.
“I think any time that someone can run to the ball like Reuben does, put his body in position and delivers, I think it excites everyone,” Shanahan said. “I think it’s something that’s infectious to the other players and also to the guys on the sidelines watching him.”
The 49ers said following the draft that Foster was their third-ranked prospect. Even playing for arguably the top collegiate program in the nation, it was always Foster that stood out on tape to the first-year head coach.
“We enjoyed watching him at Alabama,” Shanahan said. “You know, there’s a lot of guys on his (Alabama) team that were going into the draft and guys we had to study. Just about every time we had to study other players, our eyes just ended up watching No. 10 (Foster).”
One of the many traits that more than likely stood out to Shanahan and his staff was that when Foster hits you, he hits you hard. That hasn’t seemed to changed at the professional level either.
Foster’s hard-hitting ways were on full display during the first play of the game against the Vikings, a game broadcast on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
I see you Reuben Foster ? pic.twitter.com/I0Ao0Y8wsQ
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) August 28, 2017
“He flies around and really just brings the wood on people,” Shanahan said.
“When he makes big hits like that, and really you feel the energy of how much he enjoys playing and it rubs off on everyone.”
Making a list of players to watch on the 49ers this season? It’s not a bad call to start with Foster.